Editor's Pick | At 52.3°C, Delhi records highest-ever temperature

The Automatic Weather Station (AWS) located at Mungeshpur in northwest Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 52.9 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, the highest temperature on record in the capital, according to data shared by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Calling it an “outlier” compared to the maximum temperature recorded at other weather stations in the city that varied from 45.2 degrees Celsius to 49.1 degrees Celsius, the IMD said, “it is examining the data and sensors at the station as the temperature recorded could be due to error in the sensor or a local factor.” The temperature was a departure of 13 degrees from normal and was three degrees higher than the 49.9 degrees Celsius recorded the previous day. Mungeshpur, an urbanised village located near Delhi’s border with Haryana, is 55 km away from Delhi’s base weather station located in Safdarjung. The maximum temperature recorded at Safdarjung was 46.8 degrees Celsius, a departure of six degrees from normal. Safdarjung, which is one of Delhi’s five manual weather stations, is located in a greener area of Delhi and has traditionally recorded temperatures a few degrees lower than other parts of the city. The highest temperature ever recorded at Safdarjung, which is the official reading of the capital, was 47.2 degrees Celsius on May 29, 1944. The IMD in its release said temperature over urban areas varied from place to place due to local exposure, such as proximity to water bodies, barren land, concrete and dense urban cluster, green areas and that the station at Mungeshpur is a part of an AWS network at 15 new locations spread over different parts of Delhi and NCR started in 2022. Several parts of the capital have been reeling under a heatwave for over a fortnight with an absence of thunderstorms that usually bring temporary relief from the heat in May. A heatwave is declared in the plains when the maximum temperature rises above 40 degrees Celsius and is 4.5-6.4 degrees Celsius above normal. A severe heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature recorded is higher than 6.4 degrees Celsius from the normal. The Delhi government has reserved two beds in every government hospital and the Lieutenant Governor’s office has given instructions to the Chief Secretary to ensure that labourers working at construction sites get a paid break between noon and 3 p.m. along with coconut water until the maximum temperatures fall below 40 degrees Celsius. Anti-smog guns which are used to tackle pollution in the winter months will also be deployed to spray water in an effort to bring down the ambient temperature. Just before the advent of summer, the IMD had warned that more heatwaves are likely over the breadth of the country than last year. An editorial in The Hindu had pointed out that the causes are multi-fold. For instance, “India is battling an El Nino wave, that most years dries up rainfall and contributes to elevated temperature.” With general elections going on in the peak of summer, and the links between heat waves, climate and health becoming even more explicit, the editorial said that it is time that the electoral process mull creative ways to account for the crisis. The Hindu’s Editorial Insidious, incendiary: on the negligence of fire safety in India In the dock: On Donald Trump and his legal challenge The Hindu’s Daily Quiz PM Narendra Modi is expected to meditate at which Kanniyakumari landmark? Thiruvalluvar Statue Our Lady of Ransom Church Vivekananda Rock Memorial Devi Kanya Kumari temple To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 30 May 2024 [The Hindu logo] [EP Logo] Editor's Pick 30 May 2024 In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( At 52.3°C, Delhi records highest-ever temperature The Automatic Weather Station (AWS) located at Mungeshpur in northwest [Delhi recorded a maximum temperature]( of 52.9 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, the highest temperature on record in the capital, according to data shared by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Calling it an “outlier” compared to the maximum temperature recorded at other weather stations in the city that varied from 45.2 degrees Celsius to 49.1 degrees Celsius, the IMD said, “it is examining the data and sensors at the station as the temperature recorded could be due to error in the sensor or a local factor.” The temperature was a departure of 13 degrees from normal and was three degrees higher than the 49.9 degrees Celsius recorded the previous day. Mungeshpur, an urbanised village located near Delhi’s border with Haryana, is 55 km away from Delhi’s base weather station located in Safdarjung. The maximum temperature recorded at Safdarjung was 46.8 degrees Celsius, a departure of six degrees from normal. Safdarjung, which is one of Delhi’s five manual weather stations, is located in a greener area of Delhi and has traditionally recorded temperatures a few degrees lower than other parts of the city. The highest temperature ever recorded at Safdarjung, which is the official reading of the capital, was 47.2 degrees Celsius on May 29, 1944. The IMD in its release said temperature over urban areas varied from place to place due to local exposure, such as proximity to water bodies, barren land, concrete and dense urban cluster, green areas and that the station at Mungeshpur is a part of an AWS network at 15 new locations spread over different parts of Delhi and NCR started in 2022. Several parts of the capital have been reeling under a heatwave for over a fortnight with an absence of thunderstorms that usually bring temporary relief from the heat in May. A heatwave is declared in the plains when the maximum temperature rises above 40 degrees Celsius and is 4.5-6.4 degrees Celsius above normal. A severe heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature recorded is higher than 6.4 degrees Celsius from the normal. The Delhi government has reserved two beds in every government hospital and the Lieutenant Governor’s office has given instructions to the Chief Secretary to ensure that labourers working at construction sites get a paid break between noon and 3 p.m. along with coconut water until the maximum temperatures fall below 40 degrees Celsius. Anti-smog guns which are used to tackle pollution in the winter months will also be deployed to spray water in an effort to bring down the ambient temperature. Just before the advent of summer, the IMD had warned that more heatwaves are likely over the breadth of the country than last year. An editorial in The Hindu had pointed out that the causes are multi-fold. For instance, “India is battling an El Nino wave, that most years dries up rainfall and contributes to elevated temperature.” With general elections going on in the peak of summer, and the links between heat waves, climate and health becoming even more explicit, the editorial said that it is time that the electoral process mull creative ways to account for the crisis. The Hindu’s Editorial [Arrow][Insidious, incendiary: on the negligence of fire safety in India]( [Arrow][In the dock: On Donald Trump and his legal challenge]( The Hindu’s Daily Quiz PM Narendra Modi is expected to meditate at which Kanniyakumari landmark? - Thiruvalluvar Statue - Our Lady of Ransom Church - Vivekananda Rock Memorial - Devi Kanya Kumari temple To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here](. 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